German exports rose at their strongest pace in nearly two years in April, widening the trade surplus in Europe’s largest economy, data showed on Friday.

Figures from the Federal Statistics Office showed seasonally-adjusted exports climbed by 3 percent on the month, the biggest increase since May 2012, while imports edged up 0.1 per cent.

The trade surplus widened to €17.7 billion , well above a consensus forecast for 15.2 billion. Economists had expected exports to climb by 1.5 per cent and imports to increase by 0.6 per cent.

Reuters